SPECULATION Luke left because he didn't want to murder Ben

No doubt. Yoda and Obi-Wan were dead wrong. Luke showed the light can have just as much of a pull as the dark. They've taken it up a notch in TFA, making it very clear Kylo feels the pull to the light. That being said, I don't think Kylo is the one getting redeemed or forgiven. I think Rey is going to bring Luke back after his failure to restart the Jedi and keep Ben from turning. Luke needs the forgiveness this time. At least in his mind. He probably blames himself.

 

That's exactly the point; Leia still believed he could be saved. Leia didn't even believe that way about Vader.

If Leia believes that, I imagine Luke would too.
And it's not like Ben has been travelling around the galaxy destroying entire planets.
Ben has been travelling the Galaxy searching for Luke.
Why would Luke stop that?

Luke can't save everyone. He might be strong in the Force, but he's not that strong.

People are really making Ben Solo far worse a person than he was depicted as in the film (at least, up until he killed Han). He's really no worse than Vader.[/QUOTE]

The difference between Kylo and Anakin is that we saw the different factors that caused Anakin to turn to the Darkside in the Prequels and after Luke recieved the revelation that Vader was his father Obi Wan had to stop lying that Vader killed his father and tell the truth that Anakin, The war Hero and Jedi Knight, was turned to the darkside. He was not born dark. They never really alluded to how Ben was before he became Kylo Ren. They just said he had to much Vader in him but that made no sense whatsoever because Anakin was not a dark child LOL! It was like they were trying to make young Anakin into Damien Thorn from the Omen Movies. Unless they add more to the story in the next film Kylo comes off as a psychopathic thirty year old Manchild who shows no remorse ordering a whole village killed, gleefully grins when he impales his own father with a lightsaber and aided an evil entity in slaughtering innocent students at his Uncles academy. Anakin always showed restraint in his battles with Luke because he LOVED Luke. Love for his flesh and blood is what redeemed Anakin which is something Kylo did not show in this movie. Maybe he will in the next two. Also Leia did know Kylo was on the Starkiller because she is the reason Han foolishly tried to reason with Darth Bratus instead of just getting Rey and hauling ass out of there.

 

Well, he is nicknamed Jedi Killer/Slayer in the VD

 

Great comments. i feel like a lot of this should be SO obvious but i guess im a minority.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 18, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 18, 2016 ---

and this comment really epitomizes why we will continue to run in circles concerning Luke. Your understanding of what happened in ROTJ is tainted by the films that came 20 years later.

 

I don't think you are. I love this movie but I do wonder about their choices with Luke. Hopefully after the entire trilogy is complete, we can look back and feel satisfied with the story they are trying to tell.

I can't get over how many Kylo apologists there are. Dude is evil and insane and needs to be put down!

 

i hope so. hope Rian had a say.

 

I forgot all about this info from the Visual Dictionary. That would tell me Kylo actually did murder Luke's Jedi.

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 18, 2016, Original Post Date: Jan 18, 2016 ---

Well said. Lol@Darth Bratus!

I am puzzled by the comments saying he showed remorse. You hit it on the head. He never showed remorse for any of his killings. He speaks of feeling the pull to the light. That doesn't mean he's sorry for what he's done, it means he feels like he doesn't have the power to do the evil he wants to do because he knows it's against the light. Still, when it came down to it, he ignored the pull and killed his own father. He thought it would help extinguish the light.

My theory is that his anger and fear of Snoke will cause him to try and kill Snoke. Not for the greater good, but because he desires more power just as his Grandfather did. He may also see Vader as failing because he didn't kill Palpatine and rule the Galaxy himself.

 

I don't know that he's feeling any remorse. It's probably kind of soon and he seemed to be in a bit of shock. But I do think he felt conflicted.

I agree he wants to feel stronger, but I still want to know to what end.

 

That is a very interesting theory. So you believe that when Kylo said he was going to avenge Vader he meant that he is going to carry out the plan of overthrowing Palpatine, in his case Snoke? that would be interesting to see and that would line up with his quest for "Sith Lord Street Cred". Like I said in another forum Kylo comes off as one those suburban kids who travel to shady parts of town to prove they gangsta but deep down........They know they aren't really about that thug life.

 

I think Kylo thinks his Grandfather failed because he display loyalty and sentiment. Sentiment to his son, and loyalty to Palpatine. I think this new story will go in the opposite direction from the OT. So this time we get an unstable, emotional, tantrum having bully. Someone who will kill Snoke as soon as he gets what he wants from him. In this case the training and power. Plus I think Kylo is paranoid and thinks Snoke will kill him in favor of someone else, so he may take the first shot at Snoke. Just some thoughts.

 

i like the idea of Luke removing himself to meditate on events and ground himself / gain objectivity. that makes a lot of sense.

reserving judgment against Ben is precisely the thing to do; it's what Luke would do (and is probably doing). Ben's done nothing he can't come back from any more than Vader given the right and necessary guidance.

yeah, i guess that makes me a "Kylo Ren apologist" and i ain't sorry for that.

 

Especially when his dark side nephew is the only one who knows where they put his kidnapped daughter. I haven't seen this discussed in this thread but it's kind of pivotal, I think. The person who destroys Luke's life's work is the fast-track key to where Luke's daughter is, and I'm sure Luke knows that! He can't just kill Kylo.

Imagine Luke chasing Kylo through the galaxy just to capture him and torture-interrogate him: "WHERE'S THE GIRL? WHERE'S THE GIRL?" We've seen Kylo do that the other way around, and it would look kind of unappealing in a Jedi.

So Luke took a deep Jedi breath instead, went home to Ahch-to, sent out a search patrol of friends to find Rey, and made his own whereabouts a secret, so Kylo or Rey could find their way back to him when they felt like it.

 

That's as good a reason as any not to kill Ben... But it still doesn't really explain why Luke wouldn't have tried to take a more active role in trying to find his daughter.

 

Because he wanted her to be reunited with a father who is actually alive? I think he must have been in real danger himself out there at the time, and he wouldn't have known where to look for Rey anyway without becoming recognized everywhere. Just look at how freaked out Finn got when they walked into Maz' bar. Kylo is one guy, the Knights of Ren are seven. Han doesn't mention any Knights of Ren in his story, he may have underestimated the forces Luke was really up against.